 Win Gear from Metolius
ENTER NOW for a chance to win a complete set of Metolius Master Cams, a Metolius Personal Anchor System with Element Belay Biner, a Metolius Ropemaster bagand a Metolius Fish T-Shirt. A retail value of $561 with shipping to be paid by Metolius — what could be better than that!
 PENMEN Cartoons
Updated 6/26/09 - Climbing.com is pleased to present the PENMEN Cartoons by Colorado Springs climber Gary Blehm. Visit his website penmen.com for posters, animations, music videos, games, and more...
 Photo Annual 2009 - 276
INSTACRAGS - Lower Mill Creek Canyon, in Utah's La Sal Mountains , might be the Southwest's last bastion of undiluted adventure climbing; DREAMTIME - A visual tour of Switzerland's most fabled blocks; WIDE LOADS - Tape up your hands, fists, forearms, and ankles, cinch up the jeans and high-top boots, and rack up the monster pro; IN CIMA DELLO STIVALE - From Valle d'Aosta, to Varazze, to the Dolomites, to Val di Mello
SLO Op Bouldering Gym
6/30/09 - After raising over $55,000 from a grassroots collection of broke college students and pillars of the San Luis Obispo community, SLO-Op Climbing (the country’s first non-profit bouldering gym) is breaking ground this week at 289 Prado Road.
YOUNG EXPLORERS RETURN FROM THE ARCTIC
6/30/09 - 15 Young Explorers, aged between 18-23 years old, and 7 Leaders returned on 16th June 2009 after spending 10 weeks pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits on expedition in Arctic Svalbard.
HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation Announces New Board Members
6/30/09 - The HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation (Health, Empowerment, Research, Awareness), a non-profit foundation that raises funding for ovarian cancer research and awareness initiatives, announces Samantha Lockwood, 35, of Philadelphia and James Nice, 41, of Los Angeles as new board members.
Julbo Sponsors Foundation for Blind Children’s Mount Kilimanjaro Expedition
6/23/09 - Julbo, setting the industry standard in lens technology and protective eyewear since the company’s inception over 120 years ago, will be providing leading-edge mountaineering sunglasses for blind climbers from Foundation for Blind Children (FBC) for their Mt. Kilimanjaro expedition set to depart June 20.
 Steep-ifying
Mad Rock has long had an innovative approach to shoe design — think of the 3D Molded Heel Cup, with its aggressive ribbing, and the Power Upper, adding a sticky patch atop the toe box. The flagship of the company’s new concave-soled series, the new MAD ROCK CON-FLICT ($99.95,
madrockclimbing.com) incorporates these steepclimbing
staples but adds new, techtastic twists.
 HU.go Where You Wanna ...
The new AUSTRIALPIN HU.GO ($199 per tool, austrialpin.net) thinks outside the icebox: it’s an ice tool that’s suitable for any winter warrior, be she rank novice or seasoned veteran. The key to the HU.go’s versatility is its adjustable-pick design, which allows you to set the pick angle to match the terrain.
 The Tout à Blocs 2009
June 28-July 2, 2009 — L’Argentière la Bessée and Ailefroide, Southeastern France - The event started out as a local comp and grew to a National Open, then to the French Championships in all categories and finally to a World Cup event. This year there will be 450 climbers over 3 days and over 2000 spectators at the finals!
 A Benefit for the AMGA - Climb Mt. Rainier with AMGA/IFMGA Certified Guides on June 28-July 2, 2009
With summer fast approaching, the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) invites you to reach the summit of your heart’s desire while helping support access and education for the professional mountain guiding community. Experience one of the greatest mountains in the United States, Mt. Rainier, led by three premier AMGA/IFMGA Certified Mountain Guides; Margaret Wheeler, John Race and Olivia Cussen.
 Armenian First Ascent Open Festival
From July 1-31, 2009, ‘Arev’ (Sun) Armenian First Ascent Open Festival will be organized and held by the Up the Rocks club. The aim of the organizers is to make accessible the unclimbed rocks and historical-cultural treasures in Armenia for climbers from other countries.
 2009 REEL ROCK FILMMAKING COMPETITION
The 2009 REEL ROCK Film Tour, presented by Sender Films and Big UP Productions is now accepting submissions for the 2009 REEL ROCK FILMMAKING COMPETITION. If you have a camera, computer, and a fresh idea, one of the short REEL ROCK ‘09 films could be yours! Submission deadline is July 20, 2009!
 2009 Squamish Mountain Festival
August 12–16, 2009 in Squamish, BC - Returning for 2009, the 3rd annual Squamish Mountain Festival is ramping up to draw in locals and visitors alike. Focusing mainly on climbing and its surrounding culture the event also encompasses complementary activities such as yoga, a themed party and its first ever trail run. There is a film festival and photography contest (Steep Shot Photo Shoot Out), educational climbing clinics and a Dyno competition, where climbers from around the globe will compete for the biggest jump.
 International Rock Climbing Festival in Guamka, Russia
The Climbing Federation of Russia is happy to invite you to participate in the International Rock Climbing Festival on August 4-9, 2009, in Guamka, located in Russia's Krasnodar Region. 117 routes in 9 sectors have already been prepared and 20 new routes will be ready to the beginning of the Festival.
 Pine Mountain Pulldown
California's Only Outdoor Climbing Competition & Festival Returns September 11-13, 2009 - This year’s festival held in Los Padres National Forest for a second year promises to be the West Coast’s greenest climbing event. There’s something for everyone at the Pulldown, but bouldering is the main attraction here.
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Updated 7/03/09 with Emmanuel Lacoste's 2nd Blog - A Foreigner in Guangzhou, China
"Finding the 25 climbers, 15 routes, and three ropes was a joy. Their gear lay in a community pile, which resembled the communist culture these Cantonese climbers lived in. One owns the quickdraws, the other a rope and they met at the cliffs to climb together, if one couldn’t make, then the other borrowed his gear or didn’t climb." —Emmanuel Lacoste
Meet the Team and subscribe to their RSS feeds: Susan E.B. Schwartz; Misty Murphy; Bruce Willey; Martin Gutmann; Sarah Jane Alexander; Sara Lingafelter; Gregory Bahr; Daniel Holz; Niles Barnes; Emmanuel Lacoste; Greg Burns
 Tech Tip - Training - The Beat Down
Heart-rate training for max sending power - You’re gunning for your project, a pumpy 90-foot route with a crux on hateful crimpers at bolt 11. For the umpteenth time, you enter the crux feeling juiced: your footwork crumbles, your arms chickenwing . . . and then you whip, huffing like the Big Bad Wolf as you hit the end of the rope. Could be you were “pumped” or just “blew it again,” but what you might not know is the role your heart rate played in the meltdown.
 New and Notable: C.A.M.P. QUARTZ CR3 - 2009 Gear Guide
Like a Ferrari around your legs and waist, the C.A.M.P. (camp-usa.com) Quartz CR3 is svelte, high performing, and highly customizable. New for 2009, C.A.M.P.’s harness is a sport/trad marriage of light — 15.8oz — and right. The right comes from welcome flourishes like a foldoverpadding, slide-through waistbelt; auto-locking fast-pull buckles; full-strength haul loop ... Click here to buy now from MountainGear.com
 BUDDHA's CAVE in KINGMAN ARIZONA
Close your eyes. Can you picture Joshua Tree in the 1970's, before John Long and the Stonemasters moved in and scooped up many of the first accents? No traffic back then, just virgin rock. I'm nursing a hernia as I write this story. My elbow hurts and my two-wheeled aluminum mule is about to throw a shoe. Que lastima. I am in a world of hurt, temporarily camped out in Kingman, Arizona, elevation 3,300 feet, Memorial Day Weekend.
 The Hillary Step
Rising sheer and forbidding, from a razor traverse that vanishes, like nerve, on the precipice; a drab rib of ancient sea floor, elevated, as if by destiny, in the grinding ascension of tectonic crust, to paramount significance - Mount Everest’s final impediment, protector of the crown - reserved, on the apex of earth, in the glorious panorama of the Himalaya massif on a clear day, for a gentleman of undaunted disposition, who perceives before him not the nemesis of mortal obsession, but instead, a possible way up.
 Access Fund signs MOU with National Park Service
The Access Fund announces today that, after six years of collaborative negotiations, it has finalized and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Park Service (NPS). The newly signed MOU frames a cooperative relationship between the climbing community and the National Park Service. It outlines the common interests that the parties share — such as conservation and planning — as well as how they will work together to reach common goals.
 Catching Reality
Video by Emil Sergel / catchingreality.com - "Catching Reality" stars Swedish rockstar, musician and Petzl Team athlete Said Belhaj road tripping around Morocco on a journey between traditional music and hardcore climbing. This portrait of Said Belhaj is 17 minutes long, features climbs in Morocco's Todra Gorge and focuses on his two passions: climbing and Gnawa music. The movie is unique because it originally premiered first, and exclusively, on the Internet March 13th, 2009 to viewers around the world.
 Footloose and Fancy Free
Videos by Djamila Proft - Andreas Proft is a 36-year-old globe trekker from Saxony, in Eastern Germany, who started climbing about 15 years ago. Andreas and his wife Djamila, are relatively stationary now and have been touring around European climbing areas in their campervan for the last six years. Typically they stay in Germany during the summer and travel to the south (France, Spain or Italy) when it starts getting cold.
 The First Ascent of Southern Crossing (V 5.11+), Namibia, Africa
Video by Chris Alstrin / alstrinfilms.com - Majka Burhardt, Peter Doucette, and Kate Rutherford have climbed two new big wall routes: Southern Crossing (V 5.11+) and Painted Giraffe (V 5.9+), on the 1300-foot Brandberg, Namibia’s highest peak, in Southeastern Africa. But that’s only part of the story. There’s also a 2,000+ year-old painted giraffe, 108-degree temperatures, eight days at 15km/hour over washboard roads, scorpions, laser sharp granite cracks, crumbling granite faces, cobras, realized conservation, weathered maps, and rugged mountain passes. Read more.
 FIND A GUIDE OR WHAT IT TAKES TO BE ONE
Updated 6/18/09 - Featured Guide Profile - Andrew Klotz of Southwest Adventure Guides lives in Durango, CO. To him, skiing is the ultimate mountain sport because it has the best elements of climbing and mountaineering, and once you get to the top, it eliminates the walking down-hill part. Read interviews with Mark Sedon, Ryan Waters, Marty Molitoris, Ryan Stefiuk, Joseph Vitti, Guy Cotter, Dave Elmore, Dick Jackson, Amos Mac Whiting, Adrian Ballinger , Pete Keane, and Markus Beck.
 A Video Tribute to Our Friends - Jonny, Micah and Wade
Video by adventurefilm.org - This movie was put together with the help of friends and family of Jonny Copp, Micah Dash and Wade Johnson. Just a two minute introduction into the lives of these three amazing humans. There is audio narration, so make sure your volume is up.
 AAC Tribute to Jonny, Micah & Wade
Video by David Maren / AmericanAlpineClub.org - Jonny Copp and Micah Dash were longtime, generous supporters of the AAC: doing benefit slide shows, manning the club’s booth at the Outdoor Retailer and other events, and donating many photos and stories to the American Alpine Journal and other AAC publications. In fact, Jonny and Micah’s first ascent of the Shafat Fortress in India was featured in the 2008 AAJ.
 Micah Dash and Johnny Copp segment from Sender Film's "The Sharp End"
Video produced by Wade Johnson / SenderFilms - This is a segment from the Sharp End which really captures just how bad ass Jonny and Micah were on and off the rock. Wade did a lot of work on this segment so it stands a great tribute to these three vibrant souls who were tragically lost in the Sichuan Mountain Range of China. Long Live Micah Dash, Jonny Copp and Wade Johnson. Courtesy of Cedar Wright via verticalcarnival.blogspot.com
 The Wonders of Hampi, India
Photos by Steve Walters / walterscreative.com - When I first got off the train in the neighboring town of Hospet, I couldn't imagine that this was the world class bouldering area. There wasn't a boulder in sight, just fields and cocoanut trees. After 10 minutes on the bus, though I could see my mistake. The boulders seemed to rise up out of the ground, a more prolific crop than any the farmers were growing. Adding to the magic are the 650 year old temples , forts and remnants of a city larger than Rome at its peak. Now, the population of around 3000 has established a very friendly town catering to tourists and climbers. Between the boulders, temples and the friendly people, Hampi really is a climbers dream come true.
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Anchor Replacement Initiative
